Salted Caramel-Pecan Bars

For those who love sweet-and-salty combinations, this is the dessert for you! A sprinkling of kosher salt perfectly complements the sweet caramel and chocolate. Whole graham crackers make a perfectly formed crust—just overlap the edges a little. Then pour the rich, chocolaty mixture over the top, and in less than fifteen minutes it will emerge from the oven a lightly browned and bubbly delight. That's when the salt goes on, making the sweet-or-salty decision one you won't have to make. You can, of course, push this further into decadence by melting even more dark chocolate over the top when these come out of the oven then adding the salt. You just have to decide just how rich you want these to be.

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Best-Loved Cookies and Bars

These cookie recipes are easy to make, perfect for swapping, and pretty enough to be decorations.

Cookies, brownies, and bars are always crowd-pleasers—and great handmade gifts for friends and family during the holidays or for other special occasions. We love cookie recipes with a special Southern twist: Red Velvet Thumbprints, Cornmeal Thumbprints with Tomato Jam, Tea Cakes, and Swoon Pies (our take on Moon Pies). But, we crave classics like chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, or white chocolate chip cookies just as much. Get really creative—not to mention decadent—with brownie and bar recipes like Pecan Pie Bars, Bayou Brownies, Mudslide Brownies, Death by Caramel Bars, and Kitchen Sink Brownies (which have a little of everything but the sink in them). During the holidays, try our cookie, bar, and brownie spins on favorite holiday flavors: Glazed Fruitcake Bars, Layered Eggnog Blondies, Coconut Snowballs, Chocolate Peppermint Crackle, and Pecan Pralines. With so many recipes to choose from, you can fill your cookie jar year-round. Keep ice cream in the freezer, and you’ll always have an easy answer when somebody asks, “What’s for dessert?”